5 Mountain Districts in Kaohsiung to Suspend Work and Classes on 9th; City Government Preemptively Evacuates 1,681 People

(Central News Agency, Reporter Cai Mengyu, Kaohsiung, 8th) Due to forecasted rainfall reaching the threshold, five districts in Kaohsiung City—Taoyuan, Liugui, Namasia, Maolin, and Jiasian—will suspend work and classes tomorrow. The city government has also carried out preemptive evacuation operations, completing the evacuation and安置 of 1,681 people across the five districts as of 6 PM today.

The Kaohsiung City Water Resources Bureau issued a press release this evening stating that, affected by a stationary front and southwestern air currents, according to the latest 24-hour cumulative rainfall forecast data from the Central Weather Administration, the forecasted cumulative rainfall in the mountainous areas of Kaohsiung City from 8 PM today to 8 PM tomorrow is expected to reach 300 to 450 millimeters, meeting the standard for suspending work and classes.

The Central Weather Administration and the Ministry of Agriculture's Soil and Water Conservation Bureau also warned that tomorrow, the mountainous areas may experience short-duration heavy rainfall, lightning, strong gusts of wind, and even torrential rain or above, posing a risk of disaster.

The Kaohsiung City Government stated that after a comprehensive assessment of rainfall conditions and slope disaster risks, the high rainfall intensity and long duration in the mountainous areas tomorrow could lead to flash floods, road closures, mudslides, and slope disasters. To ensure public safety, the city government, in accordance with relevant regulations, declared the suspension of work and classes for the five administrative districts of Taoyuan, Liugui, Namasia, Maolin, and Jiasian tomorrow.

Additionally, the Ministry of Agriculture's Soil and Water Conservation Bureau issued a 0608 heavy rain warning forecast at 6:30 PM today, with a total of 68 yellow mudslide warnings in Kaohsiung City, including 18 in Taoyuan District, 14 in Namasia District, and 36 in Liugui District. Furthermore, two locations in Liugui District, Xinglong Village and Xinfa Village, were listed as yellow warning zones for large-scale landslides.

The city government stated that it had started preemptive evacuation operations this afternoon. As of 6 PM today, the evacuation and安置 of 1,681 people from the five districts of Taoyuan, Liugui, Namasia, Maolin, and Jiasian has been completed to mitigate the impact on residents' lives and safety in the event of a disaster. (Editor: Chen Renhua) 1150608